Word from the White House: Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress

Word from the White House: Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress
Posted by Jesse Lee on December 02, 2009 at 07:46 PM EST
It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published our focus for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports.

Supporting article: "GOP Senator Pens Obstruction Manual For Health Care," Huffington Post, December 2, 2009

Supporting report: "Health Care in Crisis: 14,000 Losing Coverage Each Day," Center for American Progress, February 19, 2009

Talking Points: Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress

•The health care status quo is unsustainable for American families, businesses, and the country as a whole. And with each passing day it only worsens. Yet opponents of reform continue their cynical attempts to delay change and preserve the status quo for as long as possible.
•After more than two full days of debate, deliberation, and consideration, Republican leaders have obstructed and objected their way to preventing voting on even a single amendment.
◦To put that in perspective, in 2003, the Republican-controlled Senate debated President Bush’s tax cut proposal for a total of just two legislative days. And in 2005 they voted on a full tax-cut reconciliation bill after just two days of debate as well.
•Delaying change to death might be a time-honored Washington tactic for winning political points – but it's a guaranteed loss for American families.
◦Each day reform is delayed, more than 14,000 Americans lose their insurance.
◦Health care costs are rising 3 times faster than wages, premiums have doubled over the past decade, and costs for American families will continue to skyrocket without action
◦A recent media article reported that many small businesses may see their premiums rise 15 percent over the coming year – twice the rate they rose last year.
•Since the last time many of these people killed health insurance reform:
◦Individual and family premiums have each more than doubled.
◦National health expenditures have tripled.
◦Health care costs have consumed a growing portion of the national GDP.
◦And millions of Americans have lost insurance.
•So while we continue to welcome a robust and constructive debate, we won’t sit idly by as defenders of the status quo continue to execute their self-professed strategy to "delay, define, and derail" reform at all costs.